1. SEC tamers: Clemson’s 38-35 victory against Georgia on Saturday wasn’t just a major statement for both the Tigers and the ACC. It also made history. Combined with Clemson’s win against LSU at the Chick-fil-A Bowl last December, coach Dabo Swinney’s team became the first non-SEC team EVER to beat two consecutive SEC opponents ranked among the nation’s top 10.

2. Fresh start: New N.C. State coach Dave Doeren made a successful debut with a 40-17 win against Louisiana Tech in his first game with the Wolfpack. Doeren wasn’t the only new face introduced to State fans Saturday. In all, 11 true freshmen saw their first college action, including leading rusher Matt Dayes (84 yards, three TDs) and wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who caught four passes for 87 yards.

3. Tech-mo Bowl: Georgia Tech put up video game numbers in its 70-0 win against Elon, including a school-record 173 yards in interception returns. The Yellow Jackets rolled up 557 yards, with 13 players carrying the ball at least once. The 70-point margin was the largest ever by an ACC team, surpassing Florida State’s 69-0 crushing of Western Carolina in 2009.

4. What can Brown do for you?: Maryland quarterback C.J. Brown made a memorable return from a knee injury that sidelined him for the entire 2012 season by completing 20 of 23 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 105 yards and two more scores in just three quarters of action in the Terrapins’ 43-10 beating of Florida International.

Worth the wait: Not even a two-hour, nine-minute lightning delay at the end of the first quarter could deter Virginia in its season-opening showdown with BYU. Inspired by a festive Scott Stadium crowd of 53,310 that braved the elements to cheer its team on, the Cavaliers used an interception, a blocked punt and a safety to come away with a 19-16 victory.

5 NEGATIVES

UNC cornerback Tim Scott is beaten for a 65-yard touchdown by South Carolina’s Shaq Roland

1. Big play Heels: One of North Carolina coach Larry Fedora’s prime objectives this season was to eliminate the big plays that plague his defense last season. Apparently the Tar Heels still have work to do in that regard after giving up a 65-yard touchdown pass on the third play of the game and a 75-yard run just after halftime in a 27-10 loss at South Carolina on Thursday.

2. Brandon’s bad break: After waiting four years and transferring from Arkansas to N.C. State, Brandon Mitchell’s shot at being a starting quarterback lasted less than a quarter Saturday. The graduate student led the Wolfpack to touchdowns on his first two drives, but suffered a broken bone in his foot on that third that will keep him sidelined for at least 4-6 weeks of his final college season.

3. Bad Beamerball: Virginia Tech has become synonymous with great special teams play during Frank Beamer’s 27 seasons with the Hokies. Saturday, however, Alabama flipped the script by burning Beamer’s team with a punt return and a kickoff return for touchdowns – both by Christion Jones – in a 35-10 loss to the top-ranked Crimson Tide at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic.

Logan Thomas had a tough day against Alabama

4. Doubting Thomas: At 6-foot-6, 260 pounds, Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas looks more like a tight end than a quarterback. Judging from his recent performance, that’s the position at which his future may lie. Coming off a season in which he was intercepted 16 times, Thomas stumbled out of the gate in 2013 by completing just 5 of 26 passes (19.2 percent) for just 59 yards and an interception that was returned for a TD.

5. Kiaro’s clip: UNC in general and offensive tackle James Hurst in particular did an admirable job of neutralizing South Carolina star Jadeveon Clowney on Thursday, But it was a hit by the Tar Heels’ other tackle, Kiaro Holts, that received most of the attention. Whether Holts, who was flagged for clipping, acted intentionally when he took out Clowney’s legs from behind long after quarterback Bryn Renner had released the ball on a fourth quarter pass may never be known. Fortunately, Clowney wasn’t seriously injured from what ESPN announcers called “a dirty play.”

DEVELOPMENT OF THE WEEK

The strength of a conference, at least from a public perception, usually isn’t judged by those teams in the middle or bottom of the standings, but rather how the teams at the top fare against the best competition. So in that respect, it doesn’t really matter that the ACC team lost two of its three matchups with SEC opponents on this opening week of the college football season. All anyone really noticed – especially those in Bristol, Conn. – is that Clemson beat No. 5 Georgia to thrust itself into the thick of the national championship conversation. That, in and of itself, made this one of the most successful weeks in recent memory for the ACC.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Boyd

Maryland’s C.J. Brown had better overall numbers while Miami’s Duke Johnson rushed for a career-high 186 yards and a TD on just 19 carries. But because of the stage on which he played and the significance of his performance, reigning ACC Player of the Week Tajh Boyd earns this week’s award. The Clemson quarterback threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 49 yards and two more scores in the Tigers’ dramatic win against Georgia.

STAT OF THE WEEK

Duke’s 45-0 victory against N.C. Central in Saturday’s Bull City Classic was the Blue Devils’ first shutout since a 41-0 whitewash of North Carolina on Nov. 18, 1989 made famous by the picture for which then-coach Steve Spurrier had his team pose in front of the Kenan Stadium scoreboard afterward. Of equal note is that last year’s Duke team ranked dead last in the ACC in scoring defense while allowing an average of 36 points per game.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I hate to lose. It makes me sick to lose. But I had a blast. Ever since I was a little guy, I wanted to do this. I slept well last night. I wasn’t nervous. I couldn’t wait to go, and it was fun.” Syracuse’s Scott Shafer on his first game as a college coach, a 23-17 loss to Penn State.

LOOKING AHEAD

Florida State and Pittsburgh finish the ACC’s opening week with a Labor Day showdown on Monday. Week 2 then kicks off on Thursday with Wake Forest traveling to Boston College for the league opener for both teams. Other games of interest include Miami vs. Florida and Virginia vs. Oregon, while locally, UNC tries to bounce back against Middle Tennessee in its home opener and N.C. State hosts Richmond.